Sealing strip devices



Feb. 7, 1967 TOTLAND 3,302,334

\ SEALING STRIP DEVICES Filed April 21, 1964 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR ING VALD TOTLA ND.

Feb. 7, 1967 1. TOTLAND SEALING STRIP DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 21, 1964 INVEN ING l ALD TOTLAND. W 4

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United States Patent 4 Claims. (c1. 49 312 This invention relates to scaling strip devices for doors and especially for doors without thresholds.

Various forms of sealing strip devices are known which are designed to be accommodated in a hollow space in the interior of a door at its under-side. Such devices can have a rather bulky construction without the strip appearing below the door in its inoperative position and the forming of the hollow space for the device complicates and renders expensive the mounting thereof. In practice such a hollow space must be formed in the door during production so as to avoid undue weakening of the door in the region of the space and to minimise v damage to the appearance of the door.

Sealing strip devices are also known which are adapted to be secured externally of the door directly to its underside but virtually within the plane of the door. With such devices, it is obviously essential that they should be of compact construction and, moreover, robust so that even if their dimensions are small, they will be able to stand up to repeated opening and closing over long periods without suffering undue wear and without the individual parts of the device coming loose.

It is an obect of the present invention to produce a sealing strip device which occupies minimum space at the under-side of the door.

It is another object of the invention that the sealing strip device opens and closes rapidly and is dependable and robust.

According to the present invention a sealing stripdevice for doors comprises a sealing strip of resilient material, rigid supporting means adapted to be pivotably mounted on a door, said strip being secured at one of its two longitudinal edges to said supporting means and being pivotable about an axis at the under-side of the door such that the strip can be swung from an approximately horizontal position in which the strip lies inoperatively along the under-side of the door when the latter is open to an operative position in which the strip spans a gap defined by the under-side of the door and the floor when the former is closed, and a cam-control mechanism including a cam member adapted to be secured to a door frame and a cam follower secured to said supporting means and located at one end of said strip outside the pivotal axis thereof but inside the other and outer longitudinal edge thereof and substantially in alignment with said strip, said follower being operatively associated with said strip through said supporting means to produce pivotal movement of said strip.

Conveniently the longitudinal edge of the sealing strip which is free in the inoperative position is arranged to be directed towards the leading side of the door during the closing movement while the cam follower is caused to be drawn as far as possible towards the opposite side of the door.

According to one aspect of the invention, the cam follower projects beyond the plane of the door while the cam member is fitted in the door frame.

In another aspect of the invention, the device is located wholly within the plane of the door, the cam follower engaging the cam.member below the under-side of the door.

In order that the invention can be more clearly understood, a number of embodiments thereof will now be 3,302,334 Patented Feb. 7, 1967 described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary section of a sealing strip device constructed in accordance with the invention and as seen from below when mounted relative to a door and its frame,

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section of the device according to FIGURE 1 when in the operative position,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of individual parts of the device prior to assembly,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of an alternative form of cam member,

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section showing an alternative form of engagement between the axle of the supporting means and its bearings,

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section showing an alternative positioning of the cam member,

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of another form of sealing strip device,

FIGURE 8 is a plan of a further form of sealing strip device, and

FIGURE 9 is a side view of the device of FIGURE 8.

In FIG. 1 there is shown the lower part of a door 10 which is hingedly connected at 11 to a door frame 12. Between the under-side 13 of the door and the floor -14 (FIG. 2) there is a gap 15, such that the door can be pivoted freely over the floor without coming into contact with it. The usual door threshold is omitted. When the door is closed, the gap 15 is closed off by means of the sealing strip 16.

The sealing strip 16 is provided with a profiled sealing element 17 of for example silicone rubber. The sealing element has at its one longitudinal edge a head :18, from which the sealing element extends in an arc 19 towards the opposite edge 20 which forms an abutment against the floor. The sealing element 17 is supported in a rail 21 having in section the approximate shape of a figure eight. At the lower part of the rail the bead 18 of the sealing element is received in an extension 22 and projects outwardly through a gap 23 in the lower end of the rail (FIGS. 2 and 3). Above the rail 21 surrounds an axle 24 which is pivotably mounted in bearings 25 which are located in openings 26 in the upper portion of the rail. The rail is secured to the axle by means of cross pins 27. The bearings 25 (of which only one is shown in the drawing) are permanently fixed to a mounting 28 which is fixed directly to the under-side 12 of the door by means of screws 29 completely outside the door. In this way one avoids forming any cavity in the door for the sealing strip and the sealing strip can be secured in an easy manner to new doors or conventional doors which are in use, without special arrangements.

In order to obtain pivoting of 'the sealing element 17 from an approximately horizontal position (FIG. 1), in which the sealing element is disposed inoperatively along the under-side 13 of the door and received in a pocket 30 in the mounting 28, to an operative position (FIG. 2), in which the sealing strip spans the gap 15 between the underside of the door and the floor with the sealing element bearing against the floor, there is a cam-control mechanism including a cam member 31 and a cam follower 32. The cam member 31 is fixed to the door frame 12, at the longitudinal side edge of the door, resting against the floor 14. In the embodiment which is illustrated in FIG. 1 the cam member 31 is received in an opening 33 which is formed in the door frame 12, while the cam follower 32 projects outwardly of the locking side edge of the door so as to engage the cam member.

As shown in FIG. 3 the cam follower is assembled together with a wheel 34 which is rotatably mounted on a headed pin 35 which is riveted or fixed in another mannet to an arm 36 which extends radially outwards from the axle 24. The arm 36 is provided with a square opening 37 so as to couple the arm in fast engagement with the corresponding square end 38 of the axle 24. The arm 36 can be fixed to the axle 24 by riveting, welding or the like, so that one obtains a secure rigid connection between the cam follower 32 and the pivot axle 24 and thereby also the rail 21 and the sealing element 17.

In FIG. 1 the cam member 31 is provided with a single cam surface 31a which guides the cam follower from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position in FIG. 2 against the force from a torsion spring 39 which is located at the side of a bearing 25 in the opening 26. One end of the spring 39 is fastened to the bearing 25 while the other end is fastened to the rail 21.

In FIG. 4 the'cam member 31 is provided with the cam surface 31a in addition with an opposing cam surface 311), so that the cam follower can be positively controlled to and from the position which is shown in FIG. 1, without action of the force of the spring. In order to ensure that the sealing element 17 is in place in its inoperative position, as shown in FIG. 1, one can for example utilise a weak spring corresponding to the torsion spring 39 or one can achieve closing off by means of frictional engagement between bearings 25 and axle 24. In FIG. a bearing 25 is shown which is produced in two parts 25a and 25b which are resiliently urged towards each other about a non-circular, that is for example an approximately square part 24a of the axle 24. by means of this arrangement it is possible to obtain an arresting engagement between the bearings and the axle at definite positions of the axle.

In order to adjust the positioning of the cam member in the door frame 12 the cam member is provided with slotted openings 40 for the cam members fastening screws. The cam members as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 are formed from a plate member 41 to which there is riveted two stamped portions 42 and 43 each provided with a cam surface.

In FIG. 6 an alternative positioning of the cam member is illustrated. Here the cam member is fixed directly to the outer side of the door frame 12, that is without being received in any opening in the door frame. In this case the cam member projects inwardly below the under-side of the door where it will engage with the cam follower which is drawn in just within the locking side edge of the door. In this embodiment the whole of the sealing strip will be received inside the vertical peripheral surfaces.

In FIG. 7 there is shown an alternative form of camcontrol mechanism. In this case the cam follower is formed in one piece with the axle 24 in that cam follower is bent and hammered to the desired shape. As shown the cam follower is provided with a convex cam follower surface 44 which engages with an outwardly projecting pin 45 which forms the cam surface of the cam member.

In the above-described embodiment the cam-control mechanism is located at the locking side edge of the door. A substantial advantage of this is that one can obtain momentary opening and closing of the sealing strip when the door is led over a very small pivotal arc, that is in the last part of the pivotal movement of the door into the closed position and correspondingly the first part of the pivotal movement of the door during opening of the door, while the locking side edge of the door is already within the surrounding sides of the door frame. In this way the wear on the sealing element will be minimal. In order to achieve such momentary opening and closing it is important that the free longitudinal edge of the sealing ele ment turns towards the leading side of the door during closing and that the cam follower is located as far as possible away from this leading side without running the risk that it shall come down into the floor and rip it up on sagging of the door.

In FIGS. 8 and 9 there is shown a form of sealing strip cam-control mechanism, in which the cam member is fixed to the door frame at the hinged side edge of the door, while the cam follower is located correspondingly on the door. The cam follower is provided in this case with a wheel 46 which is mounted on a cranked portion 47 of the axle 24 and is held in place by means of a head 48. The cam member consists of a pin 49 which extends in a plane which crosses the cam member mounting 50 at an angle of about 45. The pin extends obliquely in this plane upwardly and outwardly. In FIGS. 8 and 9 the cam follower is shown in full lines in a position which corresponds to the doors fully closed position and in dotted lines in a position where the door is pivoted outwardly about 15 from the closed position.

What I claim is:

1. In a sealing strip device for doors, the combination which comprises a sealing strip of resilient material, rigid supporting means adapted to be pivotably mounted on a door, said strip being secured at one of its two longitudinal edges to said supporting means and being pivotable about an axis at the under-side of the door such that the strip can be swung from an approximately horizontal position in which the strip lies inoperatively along the under-side of the door when the latter is open to an operative position in which the strip spans a gap defined by the under-side of the door and the floor when the former is closed, and a cam-control mechanism including a cam member secured to a door frame and a cam follower secured to said supporting means and located at one end of said strip outwardly of the side edge of said door, said cam being adjacent to the outer longitudinal edge of and substantially in alignment with said strip, said follower being operatively connected to said strip by the pivot of said strip through said supporting means to produce pivotal movement of said strip, and a pair of resilient bearing members mounted on the rigid supporting means with a gap between the free ends of said member and including an axle of polygonal cross-section held between said bearing members, the latter being biased so as to clamp said axle at a number of pivotal positions corresponding to the number of sides of said axle, an extension on said axle, said strip depending from said extension.

2. In a sealing strip device for doors, the combination which comprises a sealing strip of resilient material, rigid supporting means adapted to be pivotably mounted on a door, said strip being secured at one of its two longitudinal edges to said supporting means and being pivotable about an axis parallel to the under-side of the door such that the strip can be swung from an approximately horizontal position in which the strip lies inoperatively along the underside of the door when the latter is open to an operative position in which the strip spans a gap defined by the under-side of the door and the floor when the former is closed, and a cam-control mechanism including a cam member adapted to be fitted in a door frame and a cam follower arranged to project beyond the plane of the door while secured to said supporting means and located at one end of said strip outside the pivotal axis thereof but inside the other and outer longitudinal edge thereof and substantially in alignment with said strip, said follower being operatively associated with said strip through said supporting means to produce pivotal movement of said strip and the arrangement being such that the outer longitudinal edge of the strip is caused to be directed towards the leading side of the door during the closing movement while the cam follower is caused to be drawn as far as possible towards the opposite side of the door, and a pair of resilient bearing members mounted on the rigid supporting means with a gap between the free ends of said member and including an axle of polygonal cross-section held between said bearing members, the latter being biased so as to clamp said axle at a number of pivotal positions correesponding to the number of sides of said axle, an extension on said axle, said strip depending from said extension.

3. In a sealing strip device for doors, the combination which comprises a sealing strip of resilient material, rigid supporting means adapted to be pivotably mounted on a door, said strip being secured at one of its two longitudinal edges to said supporting means and being pivotable about an axis parallel to the under-side of the door such that the strip can be swung from an approximately horizontal position in which the strip lies inoperatively along the under-side of the door when the latter is open to an operative position in which the strip spans a gap defined by the under-side of the door and the floor when the former is closed, and a cam-control mechanism including a cam member adapted to be secured to a door frame and a cam follower arranged to engage the cam member below the under-side of the door while secured to said supporting means and located at one end of said strip outside the pivotal axis thereof but inside the other and outer longitudinal edge thereof and substantially in alignment with said strip, said follower being operatively associated with said strip through said supporting means to produce pivotal movement of said strip and the arrangement being such that the device is located wholly within the plane of the door and the outer longitudinal edge of the strip is caused to be directed towards the leading side of the door during the closing movement While the cam follower is caused to be drawn as far as possible towards the opposite side of the door, and a pair of resilient bearing members mounted on the rigid supporting means with a gap between the free ends of said member and including an axle of polygonal cross-section held between said bearing members, the latter being biased so as to clamp said axle at a number of pivotal positions corresponding to the number of sides of said axle, an extension on said axle, said strip depending from said extension.

4. In a sealing strip device for doors, the combination which comprises a sealing strip of resilient material, rigid supporting means adapted to be pivotably mounted on 4 a door, said strip being secured at one of its two longitudinal edges to said supporting means and being pivotable about an axis parallel to the under-side of the door such that the strip can be swung from an approximately horizontal position in which the strip lies inoperatively along the under-side of the door when the latter is open to an operative position in which the strip spans a gap defined by the under-side of the door and the floor when the former is closed, and a cam-control mechanism including a cam member and a cam follower, the former being adapted to be secured to a door frame and possessing walls defining between them a cam groove adapted to guide the cam follower to and away from a location at which the strip is in the operative position and said cam follower being secured to said supporting means and located at one end of said strip outside the pivotal axis thereof but inside the other and outer longitudinal edge thereof and substantially in alignment with said strip, said follower being operatively associated with said strip through said supporting means to produce pivotal movement of said strip, and a pair of resilient bearing members mounted on the rigid supporting means with a gap between the free ends of said member and including an axle of polygonal cross-section held between said bearing members, the latter being biased so as to clamp said axle at a number of pivotable positions corresponding to the number of sides of said axle, an extension on said axle, said strip depending from said extension.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,020,992 3/1912 Lane 20-67 2,206,183 7/ 1940 Goodfellow 20-67 2,786,244 3/ 1957 Rapin 2067 3,118,193 1/ 1964 Oksland 2067 FOREIGN PATENTS 491,951 4/ 1953 Canada. 489,229 7/ 1938 Great Britain.

0 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner.

A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A SEALING STRIP DEVICE FOR DOORS, THE COMBINATION WHICH COMPRISES A SEALING STRIP OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, RIGID SUPPORTING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE PIVOTABLY MOUNTED ON A DOOR, SAID STRIP BEING SECURED AT ONE OF ITS TWO LONGITUDINAL EDGES TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND BEING PIVOTABLE ABOUT AN AXIS AT THE UNDER-SIDE OF THE DOOR SUCH THAT THE STRIP CAN BE SWUNG FROM AN APPROXIMATELY HORIZONTAL POSITION IN WHICH THE STRIP LIES INOPERATIVELY ALONG THE UNDER-SIDE OF THE DOOR WHEN THE LATTER IS OPEN TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH THE STRIP SPANS A GAP DEFINED BY THE UNDER-SIDE OF THE DOOR AND THE FLOOR WHEN THE FORMER IS CLOSED, AND A CAM-CONTROL MECHANISM INCLUDING A CAM MEMBER SECURED TO A DOOR FRAME AND A CAM FOLLOWER SECURED TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND LOCATED AT ONE END OF SAID STRIP OUTWARDLY OF THE SIDE EGED OF SAID 